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This is an interesting thread for me. I am young and have a chronic illness that would possibly disqualify me for any sort of insurance in the private world. Insuring me isn't likely to be profitable unless my premiums are so high as to be unpayable for me.
What's a guy like me do for treatment in a world where universal healthcare doesn't exist?
The short version of the Canadian (or Ontarian, at least) system is that we pay for prescriptions and the government foots the bill for everything else. Yes, this means that my taxes pay for others. Or, more accurately, that the taxes paid by others are paying for me, since I am relying pretty heavily on that government-issued card. I don't pay for doctor's visits, consults, tests (including x-rays, blood tests and the like), and I didn't have to pay for my surgery which was not elective and is probably one of the main reasons I'm here to type this now.
There it is. My bias, up front and undeniable. I would not be here if it weren't for universal healthcare. I would be too far in debt to even consider something so luxurious as an internet connection. I might be homeless by now.
The thing is, I'm socially liberal. I do what I can to help out those around me, and I consider it a good thing to do for others what they can't do for themselves. Some people can't afford healthcare, and it's not always an issue of choice. I didn't choose to have Crohn's Disease and was unable to finish high school in a timely fashion as a direct result of my illness. College isn't really an option for me, because I can't afford to go now. Jobs for high school graduates don't generally pay very much, and my grades were bad so there's no scholarships for me (also a result of my illness). The banks won't lend to me because I don't make enough and when I applied for government loans to go to college I got rejected.
The odd thing is, I am a firm believer in paying the consequence of one's own actions in most regards. Poor health, however, is not often a choice one makes, or a result of one's lifestyle. Some people just get dealt a bad hand. I don't think I'd be able to sleep at night if I didn't know something was being done for those people, at least in a limited fashion.
Half of my immediate family are social workers. I have a very strong bias on this subject.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said
- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
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